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There came a point in the development of the WITS-DNP3 protocol, many years ago, when we had to migrate from writing documents about the protocol and thinking about how it would work, to building and testing real devices. To do this we used plugfests. For WITS and many other organisations, a plugfest is a chance to bring various bits of equipment together and test that the interfaces between them all work as expected. In the early days of WITS, the plugfests were pivotal to converting the paper standard to a real and working protocol on multiple vendor’s devices.

With many years’ experience in the telemetry industry and a background in electronic and embedded systems, it was only natural that I would have an interest in the Internet of Things (IoT); “who wouldn’t” you might say, given its position on the Gartner hype curve! That interest resulted in me joining and attending various meetups, chatting with companies in the sector and attending related lectures when I could. One of the meetups I have thoroughly enjoyed attending is the Internet of Things Guildford Meetup.

Generally, projects, and in particular software projects, require some time to plan, design, build, test and deliver; but not all the time. Sometimes a project requires a quick turnaround and can have demanding deadlines! How do these projects differ and what factors might be important in determining the overall success of a quick project? In this article, we’ll look at a few of those factors and how they can set you up for a good experience.

Devoxx is one of my favourite conferences! Having volunteered to help last year, I put my name forward to help again this year and was lucky enough to be selected. Volunteering allows you to attend parts of the conference in exchange for working in various capacities in other parts; for instance: room monitor, handing out swag, or manning the reception desk. It is also a chance to be part of the friendly team who put the conference together which is just as rewarding as seeing all those great talks.